When I interviewed Brad Lidge last season, he spoke about the infamous Albert Pujols-three-run homerun-stunner, while with the Houston Astros. Lidge viewed it as a learning experience, a rough moment that he learned a lot from. He said that mistakes are a great teacher.
These days he must be learning a whole lot.
Lidge blew his third save of 2009 today against the New York Yankees, in a true afternoon stunner.
The closer is clearly experiencing some mechanical issues. The insert in his shoe (for the purpose of taking weight off his knee) is possibly not enough. While he's come back from a rut and saved two in a row, it's still cause for some alarm. Locating his fastball is key for Lidge to pitch well. That was something he couldn't command today. He walked Johnny Damon, gave up a two-run home run to Alex Rodriguez (who was 0-3 before that), then Melky Cabrera singled to right to win in it 5-4.
It was a well-played game all-around for the Phillies. The pitching by young J.A. Happ was excellent and Raul Ibanez homered to continue his impressive tear. Ryan Madson set up beautifully for Lidge. His changeup was spot on.
But the guy who shuts the door, who the Phillies owe so much of 2008's success to, is just not the same guy. Consistency, as it's always been told to me, is the key and Lidge cannot seem to maintain that consistency at the moment. Whether that means Phils manager Charlie Manuel has to do some rethinking, remains to be seen. But Lidge being the champion that he is, will not want to continue to hurt the team, if it is in fact something mechanical. Perhaps the problem is a little more serious than he'd thought?
As for the starting pitching, it was mentioned that the Phils are eyeing Jason Marquis as another starter to join the rotation. The Phils are obviously starting to push the panic button a bit. It's almost June, and chances should be dwindling for those that aren't proving themselves.
By the way, thanks to the folks at NYYFans.com for linking my blog. I appreciate it.
And to my buddy Susan Lulgjuraj: the ghosts apparently travelled to their new home.
Recent Comments